Gingrich Library: What is Grit?: Finding Articles

Library Databases

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
A multidisciplinary database of more than 8,500 fulltext periodicals with pdf content going back as far as 1887. Includes indexing and abstracting for more than 12,500 periodicals.
ERIC/EDRS This link opens in a new window
An online digital library of education research and information, sponsored in part by the U.S. Department of Education. Coverage dates 1966-present
Contains references to non-journal material issued in the monthly Resources in Education (RIE) and to journal articles issued in the monthly Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE).
PsycARTICLES This link opens in a new window
PsycARTICLES is a definitive source of full-text, peer-reviewed scholarly and scientific articles in psychology published by the American Psychological Association (APA). It includes all journal articles, book reviews, letters to the editor, and errata from each journal. Coverage 1894-present, nearly all APA journals go back to volume 1, issue1.

Why Use Library Databases?

What is a Database?

The Albright College Library offers access to subscription databases. These databases generally give you easy access to magazine, newspaper, and journal articles. Most of these will be "full text" which means you get the complete article. They are called subscription databases because the Library subscribes, or pays money, in order to access them.

Why use a database?

There are advantages to using library research databases compared to the web. Databases are more focused and tailored to meet student's needs. The information tends to be:

Stable--if you found it once you can find it again.
Reliable-most information in databases is based on a print resource and has gone through a review process. Anyone can publish to the web.
Precise--you can refine your search to get close to the material you need. Compare searching 50 articles relevant to your search to 50 million from the Web.

In short, you should use library databases in order to quickly find relevant scholarly information that you can use in research papers or other course projects. We also have several library databases that include music, videos, and art! Take a look and you're sure to find something that relates to you!

Library databases:	Websites:
get their information from professionals or experts in the field.	can be written by anyone regardless of expertise.
contain published works where facts are checked.	content is not necessarily checked by an expert.
are easy to cite in a bibliography and may create the citation for you.	often don't provide the information necessary to create a complete citation.
can help you narrow your topic or suggest related subjects.	often aren't organized to support student research needs.
are updated frequently and include the date of publication.	may not indicate when a page is updated.

Sep 4, 2018

What is Grit?: Finding Articles

Library Databases

Why Use Library Databases?

What is a Database?

Why use a database?

Video: What Are Databases and Why You Need Them